I joined the Scribe in early 2021 as an artist. Everything was still online, not a lot of places were hiring and I had no direction for my career. All I’ve ever wanted to do is create things, and when I found the Scribe, they welcomed me with open arms. 
 
I remember when I was hired, I was so afraid that my art wasn’t going to be good enough. I didn’t have a fancy iPad, stylus and studio software like other professional artists. I was still living in the primitive age where I only had a pencil, a sketchbook and some markers at my disposal. 
 
I’ll never forget my first piece: making fun of the weather in Colorado Springs. I loved the prompt but remember HATING how it came out. It looked like a five-year-old had drawn it. Since I was working with non-digital art, I drew the piece in my sketchbook then I had to take a picture of it with my phone to submit it. It simply could NOT look any more unprofessional and this was the first piece of art that I would ever share with the public. I was terrified I was going to get a text from my editor saying “What the heck is this crap?” 
 
However at our next meeting, I got a shout-out for the complete opposite reason. My piece had tripled the newspaper’s number of hits that week and to this day it is one of my most liked drawings. I couldn’t believe it. 
 
That drawing taught me a huge lesson: if you put enough passion into your art, it will always be good enough. There’s no proper way to make it, which is the point of being creative! That methodology really helped me grow as an artist. And now here I am four years later, graduating with an art degree in computer science! 
 
Working at the Scribe has been my favorite job because it wasn’t just work to me. It challenged me to come out of my shell and bring ideas to life in ways I never thought I could. Now, I can face the real world with those skills in my back pocket, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. 
 
Overall, my time at The Scribe and UCCS has been an incredible journey of growth, learning and connection. Along the way, I’ve made some great friends and had the privilege of being part of a very warm and welcoming community. 
 
It’s been an honor getting to share my work with the fine people of UCCS, and I will forever cherish the memories I’ve made and the people I’ve met as I move forward. All I can say is thank you everyone for having me, and it’s been a fun run! 
 
This is Neako, clocking out for the last time. :’) 

Graphic by Neako Hallisey.